SHORTCUT is a new movie in the horror, fantasy, adventure hybrid-genre. Here at Spyloadedng, we don’t like badmouthing movies, since filmmaking is all about blood, sweat, and tears. In other words, people are passionate about making movies and we want to honor that.
However, when it came to this movie, the passion was virtually impossible to detect in any way, shape, or form.
Jack Kane, who also starred in Dragonheart: Vengeance (2020) is the star of this movie. He was also in The A List, and even the awesome HBO mini-series Years and Years. I really hope we’ll see him in more solid productions again soon.
The main issue with Shortcut is the fact that so many scenes seemed to be in the movie because someone wanted that particular shot in it. Usually, a movie is greater than the sum of its parts. But if you focus on wanting that cool shot of a bus or this particular angle of a frightened face, then this becomes the focus.
Not the story or movie as a whole.
There were simply too many things in Shortcut that threw me off from the beginning. A bus is driving around with five seemingly British teenagers and one African-American driver. The steering wheel is on the left, which should indicate we’re not in the UK.
So, where are we and why are there only five students on this trip? If this was somehow acknowledged or questioned by the students themselves, then I would be all “Fine, I’ll bite!”. But as the movie stands, I’m simply supposed to find this situation very normal.
Only the strange serial killer that suddenly comes along and the weird monster is supposedly off? I don’t think so. And yet, I managed to easily guess so much of this movie in advance.
In fact, watching Scare Me right after watching Shortcut felt like a cruel joke. The very topic of Scare Me (which is an awesome concept) is to come up with new or different ways to scare your crowd.
I honestly don’t know why Shortcut will be playing in drive-in movie theaters as well as come out on VOD. I cannot recommend watching this movie since I didn’t enjoy it personally. At all. Virtually every other movie we’ve reviewed in the past few months are more deserving of reaching a larger audience.
The screenplay for Shortcut was written by Daniele Cosci who has already had several screenplays produced. Nothing I’ve watched so far and honestly, I’m not too interested in watching them now either. Though, I am always ready to give anyone a second chance to prove their worth.
Shortcut was directed by Alession Liguori who also directed several of the past screenplays by Daniele Cosci. Obviously, this makes me think that the two have a great working relationship. And also, hopefully, lots of people who do enjoy their movies. I’m just not one of them.
Their previous feature film effort was In the Trap from 2019, which stands at a 3.9 on IMDb. I expect Shortcut will soon be at the same level – and it would be very deserved.
SHORTCUT will open in the USA & Canada at drive-ins and indoor theatres on September 25, 2020, followed by a VOD & digital release on December 22, 2020.
